Fluorescent lighting fixtures



Jan. 22,1963 R. R. GIBSON ETAL FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURES 6sheets-sheet 1 Filed Dec. 30, 1960 1NVENTORS Rani 11?. Gibsan GaryC-Rhoa Jan. 22, 1963 R. R. GIBSON ETAL FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURES 6Sheets-Sheet 2 Filel Dec. 30. 1960 Y Rickard 12.

' Gzfy C.

Gibson INVENTOR5 R. R. GIBSON ETAL 3,075,072

FLUoREscENT LIGHTING FIXTURES Jan. 22, 1963 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed DeC.30. 1960 lNyENToRS Gibson hod Jan- 22, 1963 R. R. GIBSON ETAL 3,075,072

FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURES Filed Dec. 30, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 4INVENTORS- RICHARD R. GlBsoN suY c. RHOAQ Jan, 22, 1963 R. R. GlBsoNETAL 3,075,072

FLUQRESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURES Filed Dec. :5o. 1960 6 sheets-sheet 5 IN VEN TORS RICHARD R. GIBSON GUY C. RHOAD Jan. 22, 1963 R. R. GxBsoN ETAL3,075,072

FLUORESCENI' LIGHTING FIXTURES Filed Dec. 3o. 19Go 6 Sheets-Sheet 6RICHARD R. GIBSON GUY C. RHOADl United tates Patent @E 3,075,072FLUGRECENT LEGHTENG FEXEURES- Richard R. Gibson and Guy C. Rhoad,Atlanta, Ga., as-

siguors to Gibson Manufacturing Company, Atianta, Ga., a corporation ofGeorgia Fiietl Dee. 3u, 1966, Ser. l To. 79,776 3 Ciaims. {@1.24u-51.11)

This invention -relates to lighting equipment and more particularly -tofluorescent fixtures adapted for individual, dual or iniinite linemounting either recessed within or suspended from a ceiling.

The present application lis a continuation-in-part of application SerialNo, 752,378, filed luly 31, 1958, now abandoned which is a continuationof application Serial No. 373,633, filed August 11, 1953; and it shouldbe further noted that copending application Serial No. 107,- 611, filedMarch Z7, 1961, now Patent No. 3,018,363, issued January 23, 1962 is acontinuation of these two earlier tiled applications. These applicationsdisclose a iiuorescent lighting fixture wherein a lightweight channel orwire containing raceway, formed in sections which may be assembled toany desired length, is provided for mounting below and supported by aceiling. A separate or plurality of lamp housings are operativelyconnectible to the raceway without tools in Va matter of seconds. Eachlamp housing carries lamps, ball-ast and auxiliary electric circuitelements including a male connector plug for completing the circuit to amating female socket carried by a raceway section and connected to thepower source by wiring in the raceway. This construction enables thesaving of consider-able labor and time in mounting the xture overconventional fixtures in which the ceiling raceway carries ballast andauxiliary components which must be wired to the lamp housing units sothat the complete fixture must be supported during the mountingoperation until the installation is completely wired.

The lamp housings and'raceway sections are provided with interlittingtongue and groove parts which enable their complete separation and theselective positioning of lamp housing units anywhere along the elongatedraceway. Partial separ-ation of a lamp unit by swinging movement of thehousing with respect to the raceway is also possible, whereby thehousing may be swung to an open position for replacement of ballasts,checking wiring or the like. When the housing is swung to closedposition, the raceway is mechanically locked thereto and electricalconnections to the lamps are automatically made by engagement of maleand female connectors.

A plurality of ceiling raceway sections may be a-ssembled on the floorconnected by spacer coupler members which telescopically engage in themeeting ends of contiguous raceway sections to align them into aniniinite raceway with the predetermined spacing between sections. Theintegrated raceway sections may then be lifted to th-e ceiling forinstallation as one raceway to which a plurality of lamp housing may beoperatively assembled.

The present invention relates to improvements in such iixture whichenables the modified fixture to retain all its advantages plusadditional features, including the permitting of the installation of thenxture as a troffer recessed within a ceiling structure. For suchtrotter construction, the lamp housings must be assembled to or detachedfrom the raceway by pivotal or swinging movement. Alternatively, theimproved structure of the fixture is such as to permit installation ofthe lighting fixture suspended below a ceiling if so desired.

Accordingly, the principal object of the invention is to provide auorescent lighting construction embodying a plurality of racewaysections capable of being joined to- "ice any desiredV length andsupported within or below a ceiling for power wiring carried to sockettype receptacles in each section, combined with one or more lamp housingunits e-ach containing all` necessary electrical components wired to aplug type connector which may be readily attached to or detached fromselected sections of the raceway, without the need for tools or-furtherelectrical work, to provide any desired level of lighting intensity.

Another object of the invention is to'provide in a fluorescent lightingfixture `a plurality of simple ceiling raceway sections each carryingelectric power wiring connected to a fem-ale typeconnector receptacle,and com-v plemental lamp housing units adapted to be partially receivedwithin the raceway and carrying male plug connectors, the'constructionof the parts being such that a variety of lamp housings ofvaryingVlighting intensity andv design can be operatively attached to ordetached from the ceiling raceway at any interval, additionallunitsplugged-in, moved from one space to another orv removed for repair, inai matter ofv seconds Without the use of any tool, the lamp housingsbeing adapted to be vibrationlessly locked to the raceway.

A further object of the inventionv is to provide ceiling racewaysections ofthe above character, and a spacer coupler membertelescopically engageable in the meet-ing ends of contiguous racewaysectionsl to automatically and perfectly align them into an infiniteraceway in a manner to properly space the meeting ends of the Vlamphousing units when operatively secured to the aligned raceway" sections.Another object of the invention is to provide a ceiling raceway section,of the above character, and coacting latch means between the raceway andlamp housingfor readily effecting attachment and `detachment ofthe lamphousing withouty the use of tools, the latching means in-K cluding slotsformed in one edge of the raceway and latch tongues carried by the lamphousing and insertable in the raceway slots to attach and support thehousing while permitting swinging of the lamp housing'toY a tiltedposition for electrical check and maintenance thereof or completeremovalofthe housingby simply lifting the latch tongues from the raceway slots.

` Yet another object of 'the invention is to provide a lighting fixtureassembly comprising a` simple lightweight ceiling raceway section havingtherein only electric power wires connected to a'deta'chable femalereceptacle, and a lamp'housing carrying all necessary lamp andauxiliary' components including a'rnale plug connector engage'ableI withsaid female receptacle to complete the lamp circuit, the male plug beingnormally disconnected when the lamp housing is partially or completelyseparated'from the race way and the detachable female receptacle beingremovable from the raceway to eng-age the male plug'to effect` testingof the lamp circuit while thelamphousingis par-- tially separated andswung to an open position.l

A further object of the invention is to provide a ceiling racewaysection mounted within or forming a supporting part of a ceilingstructure and adapted to support a lamp housing nested therein, andcoacting latch means betweenV shifting the latch members from theracewayl unit windows;

A still further object ofthe invention Vis to provide] a trolier racewayunit which is so configured astof enable nesting receipt of a lamphousingfwithin its contines with additional space in the raceway unitfor wiring not only of the lighting ixture itself but such other wiringas may be desired to be installed within the ceiling structure.

Yet a further and perhaps primary object of the invention is to providea trotier raceway unit of the described character which is also adaptedto releasably support a ceiling panel between adjacent raceway units inparallel spaced relation, whereby a plurality of raceway units, lamphousings and ceiling panels may be assembled to deline a ceilingstructure of pleasing design and required illuminating capability andconliguration.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trotter comprising araceway and a lamp housing nested therein both being provided with meansfor venting the heated air generated by electrical operation of thelighting lixture so as to increase the eliiciency and life of thelixture lamps and other circuit elements, the venting means alsopermitting salvage of the heated air for use as an auxiliary heatingmeans elsewhere in the building in which the lighting fixture isinstalled.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The inventionitself, however, both as to its organization and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbest be understood from' the following description of specilieembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings,wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout theseveral'igures and in which: f

. FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a complete lixture constructed inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention and in operativeposition suspended from a ceil- 111g;

FIG. l2 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, vertical sectional view throughthe assembled device showing the light circuit plug-in connectors inoperative engagement;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ceiling raceway and lamp housinghingedly connected in open testing position illustrating the plug-inconnectors disconnected and showing in broken lines the socket detachedfrom the raceway and operatively engaged with the male connector plug ofthe lamp housing;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the raceway section coupler device;

FIG. 5 isa cross sectional View taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2 looking inthe direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken on the line 6-6 ofFIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the latchingarrangement with the lamp housing in operative locked position;

, FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modification showing,instead of the plug-in connector, a terminal block main circuit lineconnector;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5 of a modified fixturehaving an automatic latching means shown in elevation in solid lineswhen in locked condition and in broken lines when in unlocked condition;

' FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the combination lamp housing brace andlatch member of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a top plan View of the latching pawl used in FIG. 8;

' FIG. 1l is an end elevational view of the latching pawl of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a. reduced fragmentary perspective view of a ballast mountedon a frame portion of the lamp housing of the fixture shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 13-13 of FIG. l2;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a troter, constructed inaccordance with the invention, portions of which are broken away toreveal internal details;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a portion of a ceiling structureincorporating the troter shown in FIG. 14;

spasms FIG. 16 is a side view in elevation of the troier shown in FIGS.14 and 15;

FIG. l7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 1'7-'17of FIG. 16 and looking in the direction of the arrows, and

FIG. 18 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line13-18 of FIG. 16.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-6 illustrate one embodiment ofthe invention adapted to be suspended from a ceiling or other overheadmedium and comprising a lluorescent lighting iixture A formed by aceiling raceway B and one or more lamp housings or units C. The racewayB is constructed from a plurality of one-piece blanks 1 of relativelylightweight metallic or plastic material joined into an elongatedchannel or raceway formation. Each blank of section 1 is bent orotherwise formed to provide a centrally disposed longitudinal at topsurface 2 with outwardly and downwardly extending V- shaped side walls 3below which are the oppositely outwardly and downwardly extending topsection walls 4;

The foregoing construction provides an exterior longitudinal crown ordomelike formation 5 and an interior channel space 6 in which terminatethe lower threaded ends of the supporting rods 7 and the threaded nuts 8for supporting the raceway B and lamp housing member C carried thereby.Alternatively the V-shaped walls 3 provide for use of side clamps, aswill be more fully described hereinafter, that can slide to any positionalong the race- Way and thus support the fixture from stem hangers. Thetop sections or portions 4 of the raceway units terminate at their outeredges in the downwardly extending, substantially vertical side walls 9and 10. The Wall 10 is formed with small inwardly extending olsetportions 11 respectively spaced from each end, each having a horizontalslot 12. The opposite Wall 9 is formed with similar spaced and indentedoiset portions 13, each having a threaded opening 14.

The lamp unit C is provided with latching and locking means Dcooperative with the slots 12 and openings 14 for hingedly securing andlocking the lamp unit C to the raceway A. 'Ibis means D includes a pairof U-shaped strips 15, which are mounted between the inner upper edgesof the longitudinal upstanding sustaining ribs or frame members 16 and17 of the lamp unit C. Members 16 and 17 are spaced laterally withrespect to each other, and inwardly relative to the longitudinal sidesof the lamp housing C. The vertical leg portions 18 and 20 of theU-shaped strips 15 project above the upper edges of the frame members 16and 17, and the legs 18 terminate in inwardly projecting right angularlatching tongues 19 While the legs 20 carry thumb screws 22.

Slots 12 in the offset portions 11 in the side Walls 10 of the racewaysections are adapted to hingedly receive the latching tongues 19 tosuspend the lamp housing C in open position (see FIG. 3) duringinstallation or subsequently for repairs or replacement of lightingelements. It will be noted that when the lamp housing C is in openposition, the tongues 19 are inclined downwardly and thereby precludeaccidental removal from the slots 12. The other vertical legs 20 of theU-shaped strips 15 terminate in slightly rounded extremities 21 and areadapted, when the lamp housing is in closed position, to engage in theoffset portions 13 of the raceway side wall 9. Thumb screws 22, carriedby the vertical portions 20, are engageable by suitable manipulations inthe threaded openings 14 of the side wall 9 to rigidly interlock theraceway B and the lamp housing C and prevent undesired separation orloosening even under extreme vibration conditions. The members 1S aresecured to the lamp housing frame members 16 and 17 by screws 23.

The channel raceway B is of lightweight construction so as to admit ofeasy installation even when formed of a large number of separatesections. Only the main circuit wires 24 are mounted in the raceway andeach section carries a socket connector member for plug-in engagementwith the complemental male plug connector member 26 suitably mountedinthe lamp housing C and connected in circuit with the lamp elements andballast, not shown.

A bracket 27, shown as L-shaped but which may be straight or otherwiseshaped, is secured yto the inner surface of the raceway side wall 9,adjacent to one end of the raceway section, by screws 2S or otherfastening means. The horizontal portion 29 of said bracket is recessedto form spaced arms which are adapted to slidably and detachably engagein recesses 25 formed in opposite sides of the socket 25 to support thesocket (FIG. 3). Thus the socket 25, although rigidly supported, isremovable for plug-in connection with the male plug connector member 26when the lamp housing is in open position.

When the raceway B and the lamp housing C are in open'position as shown,the wiring can be checked or repairs made with the lamps disengaged fromthe circuit andwithout having to manually hold the housing during suchoperations. Replacement of inoperative units can be made in a momentrather than doing this work on the job as necessitated with conventionalequipment. Also, the latching means D permit the housing to be swungupwardly into engagement with the raceway B and at the same timeautomatically effects the plug-in engagement of the male plug connector26 with the female connector member 25, thus completing the wiringcircuit to the housing and closing the lamp circuit (not shown). Duringsuch movement, the latch ends 21 seat in the indented portions 13, andall `that is then necessary to rigidly secure the parts B and C inlocked engagement is to project the thumb screws in the openings 14.

It will be apparent that to install the lamp housing C by virtue of theunique latching arrangement, it is only necessary to lift the housing Cand insert the latch tongues 19 in the slots l2, which will hold thehousing suiiiciently open to permit such manipulations with respectthereto as may be necessary in connection with the installationoperations. To complete the installation, it is only necessary to swingthe housing upwardly bringing the lug ends 21 into registeringengagement with seats 13 and then lock B and C in operative associationby manually engaging the thumb screws 22 with the openings 1li,V andwithout the need for or use of any tools.

-During the initial installation of the housing C or at any subsequenttime when the housing is in open position to test the circuits or makerepairs, or replace defective units, it is only necessary to detach thefemale connector 25 from its supporting bracket 27 and bring it intoplug-in engagement with the male plug connector 26, as shown in dottedlines 26 in FIG. 3. This closes the lamp circuit for the test. Afterconclusion of test or repair, all that is necessary is to return thefemale connector to its supporting bracket 27 and move the lamp housingto closed operative illuminating position, locking it in this positionby manipulation of thet thumb screws 22.

In the conventional type of ceiling lighting iixture, the complete xturemust be raised to supporting members and wired at the ceiling, which,owing to its weight, and elevation from the floor is difficult and timeconsuming. However, -in the instant invention, such diliculty has beenovercome by the provision of the lightweight inverted troughlike ceilingraceway B and the latching and locking means D between the raceway B andthe lamp housing C which permits the raceway unit B to be separatelyassembled and wired on the floor to lengths of 4'8' or more and raisedas a complete assembled unit to ceiling supports. The lamp housing isthen detachably connected to the raceway unit at any convenient timeafter building construction is completed thus eliminating storage,contamination and damage,

The raceway section B is designed as a separate part of the fixturedevice A, its cross sectional shape-being such as to provide, even withthe use of a substantially thin lightweight material, a strongnondeformable open ended chan- 6. nel raceway forming a conduit forelectric power lines and the like. A raceway comprising many joinedAsections, nevertheless, may be joined and mounted easily lowing to itslight weight as compared to the conventional xtures wherein the'completefixture must be supported until the whole installation is wired.

In order to provide for the addition of one or more raceway sections-Bto form a continuous conduit, each raceway is provided with means forjoining aligned raceways together. In the present instance, thismeans'cor'nprises openings 37 for connection with a specially designedspacer couplermember 31 (FIG. 4). At the end of a conduit, so formed, orif a raceway section B constitutes a single nxture', end closures mayb'e'secured by means of the openings 37. The coupler is formedfwith acrown portion 32 and downwardly stamped, or otherwise formed, are thedownwardly offset portions 33 and the shoulders 34 at each end of thedownturned sides. The shoulders 34 predeterminedly limit the telescopingmovement of the portions 33 into the ends ofrcontiguous'raceway'sections B and automaticallyA effect a predetermined space S5 (FIG. l)between the ends of contiguous lamp housing units in an alignedcontinuous row. Since the slots 12 in each of the raceway sections Barespaced an exact distance from their ends, the insertion of latchtongues 19 ot respective contiguous lamp housings therein provide thespaces 35 which enable any lamp housingV C in the row to be swung toopen position or to be removed and replaced without rubbing against thehousing on either side.

The ends 33 of the spacer coupler 31 are formed with openings 3d neartheir end edges and adapted to register with openings 37 formed in theends of the sides 9 and 1t) of the raceway section B. These openingsreceive screws 38 for locking the couplerl 31 and contiguous racewayunits B into a rigid raceway ofany desired length. The offset screw holealignment pulls the raceway sections tightagainst the coupler shoulderswhen the screws are mounted providing rigid, straight alignment. It willalso be noted that the raceway spacer coupler member 31 owing to itsconfiguration corresponding to that of the units B, when operativelypositioned, presents an unbroken surface area of the raceway channel. Because of the designed dimensional accuracy of the race way parts, thelamp fixtures in continuous runs are auto#V matically spaced to exacttolerances and heldin perfect longitudinal alignment without requiringmeasurement by the installer.

FIG. 7 illustrates la modied form of connector which may be employedinstead of the plug-in connectors 2'5 and 26, if desired under certainoperationalv conditions. Terminal block connector- E is lsuitablymounted in the lamp housing C, in the present instance, adjacent to alatch bar member 15, and is designed to make a positive connection withwires 39 to the main'circuit in the raceway units B and to an adjacentfixture by wires 40. The block E is formed with four openings'41 toreceive the ends of the wires 39 and 40 and mounted in the block atright angles to said openings are a like number of screws 2 adapted toclampingly engage the ends of the respective wires to secure them in theblock.

It will be apparent that the described lighting fixture compriseslightweight ceiling raceway sections, a spacer coupler member adapted toaccurately position the connectible sections in any desired number and,at the same time, provide spaces between the lamp housings to renderinstallation and manipulation of the housings easy; a lamp housingadapted to contain all components except the main circuit wires; afemale connector in each raceway section permits the automaticconnection to the complemental male plug carried by the lamp housing andis detachable to make test connection when the latter is in openposition; a unique latching arrangement enables ready and completeattachment and detachment'of one or more housing units or types ofhousings to the ceiling raceway in any desired interval of spacing, andparticularly it will be noted that the lamp housing repairs may be madeand the circuit tested while theV lamp housing is in open position, orhousings replaced or respaced with-v out cutting the main circuit, whichhas been incapable of accomplishment by the prevalent types of lightingxtures heretofore in use.

' FIGURES 8-13 illustrate a modified lighting fixture in which theraceway section and lighting unit automatically latch together uponpivoted movement toward each other. This lighting unit comprises araceway 1 and a centrally disposed longitudinally extending housing 60.The raceway 1 is basically similar to the raceway 1 and includes alongitudinally extending crown formed by the top wall 2 and V-,shapedside walls 3, and providing grooves between the lower portions of theside walls 3 and the top section walls 4. As previously indicated, thestructure, as best shown in FIG. 8, is adapted to cooperate withsupporting clamps, such as a box clamp 200, which are carried by thehanger rods 7 and bolts 8. These clamps may comprise a rigid invertedU-shaped portion forming a top wall 201 having a central aperture forreceiving the rod 7, and opposed side walls 202 the free extremities ofwhich substantially engage or rest on the top wall 2 oi the raceway.Opposed side walls 203 are pivotally connected at their upper edges tothe lateral edges of the top wall 201 and their lower edge portionsextend below the ixed side walls 202 and are inturned to nest in thegrooves between the walls 3 and 4. These pivotal side walls are securedtogether and clamped to the raceway crown by a cross bolt 204. Thisclamp arrangement is slidable along the raceway crown to facilitatelocation of the hanger rods 7.

The housing 60 carries at each end a lamp supporting or end unit 61between which extend, in the usual manner, the fluorescent lamps 62,four being shown. Obviously, longitudinal side walls, difusers or thelike may also extend between the end units 61 in the usual manner. Thehousing 60 includes a V-shaped reflector or frame member havingdiverging upstanding walls 56 and 57, the upper edges of which are bentinwardly and upwardly to form ilanges S which bear against similarinwardly and upwardly turned anges 54 along the bottom edges of sidewalls 49 and 50 of the raceway section. The seating of flanges 54 and 55against each other provides a seal against entrance of dust, moistureand heat in the closed position of the lamp housing against the racewayand prevents entrance of such within the raceway channel. In addition,this construction aids selfcleaning of the fixture by permittingunobstructed rise of dust carried by hot air rising from lamps of thefixture without possibility of diversion and entrapment within the xtureor raceway.

The automatic latching structure in thisembodirnent includes a bracemember 65 of generally U-shape having upstanding legs 66 and 67.l Themember 65 is secured to the frame walls 56 by rivets 68, and the legs66, 67 pass through openings in the flange wall portions S5, so thatinturned -tongues 69 on the legs 66 may be inserted in openings 53 ofthe raceway wall 50 to hingedly connect the raceway to the lamp housing.Brace Ymember 65 further serves to dimensionally hold the lateraltolerance of the walls 56 and 57 to the exact degree required to matchthe width of the channel in the raceway. y The leg 67 of the bracemember is` provided with ears 83, FIGURE 9, at its upper end defining aseat 84 be-V tween the ears for a latch pawl 70. The pawl 70 alsoextends, with the leg 67, through the opening in ange portion 55 andrests inthe seat 84 at an angle in the locking position, shown in fullline in FIG. 8, with the outer portion 71 extending verticallyexteriorly of the leg 67 and the inner end seated on the horizontalsurface Aof member 65 and held downwardly by a spring 80 having a hookedend 82 riding in a slot 74 in the pawl.v The mid-portion of the spring'80 is guidingly 8 seated in slot 76 in the inner upturned end 75 of thepawl. The opposite end of the spring 80 is anchored to member 65 byarivet 81 or the like. A latch tongue 72 is inturned from the angle side71 of latch pawl 70 and seats in a slot 52 in .the raceway wall 49 tolock the lamprhousing to the raceway. A linger grip 73 is -formed on theouter side of vertical wall 71 of the latch pawl.

When it is desired to release the lamp housing, grip 73 is pulledoutwardly and downwardly to remove tongue 72 from the opening 52 andtilt the latch pawl 70 on the seat 84 to the position shown in brokenlines in FIG. 8, where i-t is held by the hooked end S2 of spring 80.This releases the lamp housing for pivotal movement on tongue 69 to itsopen position for test or repair. If desired, the housing may becompletely detached by removal of tongue 69 from opening 53. When it isdesired to lock the hou-sing to the raceway, the latter is swungupwardly on pivot tongue 69 until the lower end of raceway wall 49strikes the tilted latch pawl 70 causing the spring 80 to quickly snapthe pawl 70, rocking it on seat S4 in-to its locking position with thetongue 72 moving into the opening 52. Thus, the mere turning movement ofthe housing toward the raceway automatically moves the described latchparts into locking position.

FGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a means Vfor supporting a ballast on the lamphousing. The ballast is secured on a plate 91 having upturned sideswhich are in turn secured to the upper edges of the housing frame walls56, 57. The plate serves to retain the frame walls properly spaced apartto exact spacing With minimum tolerance and also radiates the heatconducted from the ballast to dissipate such heat more en'ectively.

FIGS. 14-17 illustrate still another modilied fluorescent lightingiixture or treffer F designed for embedding in or forming aconstructional element of a ceiling structure. If desired, this fixturemay instead be suspended from a room ceiling or other overheadsupporting medium. The fixture may be employed as a single unit or witha plurality of units arranged in an infinite line and, as illustrated,may employ a plurality of ceiling raceway sections G spaced apartlaterally to provide con- -structional support elements for the ceilingpanels K.

The lighting fixture F comprises a ceiling raceway G and a complementallamp housing H adapted to nest substantially within the raceway. Theraceway G is constructed fromV a one-piece blank of relativelylightweight metallic or plastic material and is formed into an elongatedchannel or raceway formation, having an inverted U-shape cross section,by bending or otherwise forming the material to provide a longitudinaliiat top surface 102 with the downwardly extending side walls 103 and104.

The raceway is adapted to be supported from or within a ceilingstructure by suitable means, such as hanger stems, side clamps orthreaded rods 105 which pass through slots 106 in wall 102 and retainthe raceway G by means of nuts 107 threaded on the rod ends. The racewayupper wall 102 is preferably pierced by an aperture 108 locatedcentrally over the ballast 109 carried by the lamp housing H. Ifdesired, a iiexible tube or duct 110 may be utilized to carry the heatedair for exhaust outside the building or to be redirected within thebuilding to augment the normal building heating system.

The depending side Walls 103 and 104 of raceway G are braced bylaterally extending brackets which are longitudinally spaced in theraceway and which cooperate with the lamp housing H to position thelatter and detachably lock it in'place in a manner to be described. Eachbracket 115 comprises a channeled member having an inverted Unshapecross section formed by the upper,` substantially horizontal wall 116and spaced, parallel depending walls 117 and 118.

The walls 117 and 11S are provided with large, longi- 9.tudinallyaligned recesses 119 having outwardly and downwardly inclinedside walls adapted to guide and receive the lamp housing l-l intoassembled position within the raceway. The brackets 115 are secured tothe raceway side walls by screws 1112` threadedly engaging openings inoutturned ears 121 at each end of the bracket walls `117 and 118. Pairsof openings 124v in the raceway side walls 103 and 104 receive thescrews 121i and may be suitably spaced in measured units, for exampleevery 12 inches, to enable change or addition of brackets 115 to Varythe spacing of supported lamp units. A latch Window or slot 122 isprovided at each side of recess 119 in one of the bracket walls, such aswall 117. The upper wall 116 is provided with an opening in which isremovably secured a female plug connector 123.

The lamp housing H is preferably an elongated inverted troughlike memberof substantially the same length, or units thereof, as raceway unit Gand is also open at both ends. The housing is shaped and dimensioned totit substantially completely within the raceway but spaced from thewalls thereof, and to accomplish this, the lamp housing has a horizontalupper wall 136 and a pair of outwardly and downwardly sloping side walls131. Each side wall comprises sloping portions 132 at the bottom edge ofwhich the wall has a stepped configuration with horizontal land portions133, 135 and alternate riser portions 134 and 136, and inturned flanges137 at the bottom. A trim channel 139 of L.shaped cross section extendsfrom the outside or" the lower vertical portions 136 of each side wall131.

A light transmitting cover 138, which may be the usual translucentpanel, egg crate or the like, is removably supported by the anges 137.This cover 138 is of a lwidth greater than the spacing between theflanges 137 but less than that of the vertical walls 136. Thus, thecover 13S may be installed or removed by pressing one edge against theadjacent Wall 136 and swinging the other edge past the adjacent ange137. The cover is centered on the flanges by bowed leaf springs or thelike 138 between the cover edges and the Wall portions 136.

On one side wall 131 of the lamp housing are afhxed angle brackets 149spaced so as to align with and enter the channels of brackets 115 in theraceway. Each bracket 141i comprises a substantially horizontal Wall141, a vertical wall 1-@2 affixed to the riser portion 134 of thehousing side wail 131, and an inclined wall 143 secured to the slopingportion 132 ofV the housing wall. A male plug connector 14d is securedin an opening in the upper horizontal Wall 141 of the bracket in suchposition as to cooperatively engage its male prongs in the sockets ofconnector 123 when the lamp housing H is elevated and inserted in theraceway G. As this is being done, the edges of openings 119 in thebrackets 115 engage the sloping wall portions 132 of the lamp housingyand guide it into iinal position, while a similar longitudinal guidanceand positioning is provided by the channels of brackets 115 in which thehousing brackets 140 are received.

To retain the housing assembled in the raceway and to positively butreleasably lock it in such position, a plurality of latches 145,preferably four for each fixture unit, are hingedly mounted on thehousing H. Each latch 145 comprises a hook end 146 adapted to enter inthe latch window 122 and engage a Wall thereof to prevent gravityseparation of the raceway and lamp housing. The latch further comprisesa vertical arm 147, see NGS. 16 and 17, a horizontal eounterweight arm143, an inturned flange 169 for nger engagement, and a cam surface 151)on the upper side of the hook end. Each latch 145 is pivoted at 151 towall portion 134 of the lamp housing and the weight of the arm 148 tendsto turn the latch in a direction to retain the hook end 1de in the latchwindow 122. Thus the lamp housing and raceway are normally locked inassembled condition.

When it is desired to remove the lamp housing, the latch arm ilanges 149are moved upwardly by -nger to pivotA the hooks 146 out of windows 122and. release the housing H for separation from the raceway. Uponinserting the housing in the raceway, the bracket walls 117 strike thecam surfaces 151i swinging the latches on pivots 151 to permit thehousing to be pushed into final seating position in they brackets 115.When this occurs, the Weight of arms 1118 will automatically turn thelatches on pivots 151 to engage the hook ends 146 in windows 122 thuslocking the housing and raceway together.

A plurality of lamp sockets are secured in notches in housing wall 1361to'iit flush with the ends of the housing.A The sockets 155 seat a pairof fluorescent lam-ps 156, see FIG. 17, parallel to each other and underupper housing Wall 130. It desired, three or more lamps 156 may beemployed, one such alternative construction being illustrated by thethird lamp shown in broken lines in FG. 17. Directly-over each lamp 156,the housing wall 131i is pierced by an aligned series of apertures 157which serve to vent the heated air trapped in thev lamp housing H to thespace under wall 162 of the raceway. From this space, the heated air isvented through opening 1% and duct 11lwas previously described. Theopening Hi8 is preferably centered over ballast 109 which is a primesource of heat generation in the operation of the fixture.

The ballast 109 and sockets 155 together with starters, not shown, arewired to each other by wiring 15S in a conventional circuit whose powersource is the male plug connector 14d. When a ceiling trotterinstallation is made, the branchwiring from ,one or more fixed powersources is carried in the raceway units G and connected to the femaleplug connectors 123. More than ample space is provided in the racewayabove brackets 115 to -carry suchwiring and the excess space isavailable for running of wire other than that required bythe lightinginstallation.

In order to install -an additional or plurality of xtures F inalignment, a coupler member 160FIG. 16, is provided. The coupler ldtlispreferably formed of heavy gauge material and is of inverted U-shapecross section of such size as to telescope within and closely t theraceway units G when butted end-to-end. Tapped holes are provided in thecoupler which register with apertures in the ends of raceway units G toreceive the screws 161 whichk firmly secure the contiguous raceway unitsand coupler together into a rigid raceway of any desired length. In theillustrated embodiment of the invent-ion, the raceway unit G and lamphousing H are of equal length and therefore the coupler -60 iscompletely telescoped within the butting raceway ends.

if it should be desired to utilize lamp housings longer than ltheraceway units, couplers may be used having outwardly odset portions foralignment with the Sides 1113 and 1M and shoulders which predeterminedlylimit the telescoping movement of the coupler as taught in FlG. 4. Ineither case, it will be noted that the raceway spacer .coupler member160', owing kto itsconiigurationV corresponding to that ofthe units G,when operatively positioned presents an unbroken surface area of theraceway line, and due to the designed dimensional accuracy of theraceway parts, the lamp fixtures in con.- tinuous runs are automaticallyspaced to exact tolerances without requiring measurement by theinstaller.

A portion of `a ceiling formed by trotter units F utilized vin aplurality of parallel lines to support ceiling panels and thus formsubstantially a complete ceiling structure is illustrated in' FIG. 15;The ceiling portions between parallel lines of trotler units comprise aplurality of pan-shaped panels K formed of metal, plastic or othermaterial which may be sound absorbing, if desired. The shape and size ofpanels K maybe chosen such as to give a tilelike appearance to theYceiling .be-

, 11 i tween the illuminated strips defined by the transparent trotterclosures 138. Some or all of the panels may be pierced by a plurality ofsmall openings 125 to admit entrance or exit of heated or cooled a-ir tothe room.

To support the ceiling pans K, the rim iianges 165 on opposite sides areformed with upstanding extensions 166 having a detent bead 167 formedtherein, as best seen in FIG. 17. To cooperate with bead 167 in latchingengagement, the depending sides 113 and 114 of raceway -units G areprovided with clamps 170 extending completely or partially the length oftheir lower edges. The clamps 170 each comprise a horizontal strip 171whose sides are folded under at 172 and prolonged in converging ilanges173. Y

The flanges 173 are formed with semicylindrical portions or beads 174which meet to form a latch cylinder. Below portions 174, each liange 173terminates in an outwardly flared end portion 175. The clamp portions173 are formed of metal or other resilient material which inherentlyprovides tension for holding therportions 174 together. The clamp strip171 is secured to the bottom of the raceway walls by means of a pair ofsimilar brackets 176 and -the mounting screws 177.

It will be apparent that all that is necessary to install the ceilingpans K between raceway units G is to lift the pans so that the rimextensions 166 enter the mouth between clamp ends 175. Exertion offurther upward pressure on the pan K will cause the detent 167 to camthe anges 175 apart so that the detent will enter between the separatedVsemicylindrical portions 174, at which time they will spring backtogether and clasp the detent bead 167 to hold the ceiling pan latchedto the raceway.

When it is desired to detach a ceiling pan, it is merely necessary topull it downwardly with sutiicient pressure to enable the bead 167 toovercome the resilient pressure of the clamp portions 170and cam theportions 174 apart. Since the pans K, lamp housing closures 13S, andhousing trim channels 139 when assembled and latched to the racewayunits G fall in substantially one ceiling plane, it may be necessary toremove a lamp housing or to insert a thin tool between the lamp housingand ceiling pan K in order to grasp the latter and detach it from theclamps 170.

The channel raceway G is of lightweight construction,

weighing approximately 6 pounds per four foot unit, so as to admit ofeasy installation. In the conventional type of lighting trotter, thecomplete iixture must be supported until the installation is mounted andwired, which, owing to its weight of approximately 40 pounds, has provenquite diicult and time consuming. In the instant invention, suchdiiiiculty has been overcome by the provision of the lightweightinverted troughlike ceiling raceway G and the latching and locking means145 between the race way G and the lamp housing H which permits theraceway unit G to be separately installed and enables each lamp housingto be detachably connected to the raceway unit. Preferably, ininstalling a combined xture and ceiling structure as illustrated anddescribed herein, the raceway units G are iirst joined in end-to-endalignment by use of the heavy gauge couplers 160. These joined racewayruns are then lifted and installed by means of the support rods 105. Thebranch wiring necessary to connect the -female plug connectors 123 to asingle or plurality of -fixed power sources, together with anyadditional wiring desired for other than illuminating purposes, is laidand lconnected in the raceway runs above the brackets 115. Next, theceiling is completed by installation of the pans K. Thus, the walls andceiling of a room may -be completed and painted before it is necessaryto remove the lamp housings H from their factory cartons.

Desirably the side walls 103 and 104 of the raceway units G are providedwithslots 186 parallel to slots 106, see PIG. l5, and communicatingcross slots 181, 182 to provide easy mounting oi the raceway on the rodhangers 105. Thus the rods may be suspended from a suitable supportingstructure and the raceway can be mounted by alignment of the slots 180,181 with one set of rods, pushed in one direction laterally to receivethe rods and support nuts 107, tilted upwardly to align the other set ofhanger rod nuts with slots 180 and then pulled in the opposite lateraldirection to seat the raceway. The entire ceiling may be leveled byadjustment of the hanger rod nuts 197 from the interior of the racewayafter the ceiling pans K are installed, without removing any ceilingmaterial, it being necessary only to gain access to selected hanger rodsby detachment of appropriate lamp lunits H.

By shifting the brackets to different spaced locations along theraceway, see broken lines FIG. l5, the lamp units may be changed ormoved in position to yield any desired or optimum lighting pattern for agiven installation. The spaces lbetween lamp units along a raceway maybe closed by any suitable closures similar to the ceiling panels K andmay comprise vents for the passage of heated or cooled air to or fromthe ducts formed by the raceways G and lamp units H. The T-shaped clamp171, supported by suitable means not shown, may be utilized to supportceiling pans K on each side and thus widen the spacing between racewayruns.

As apparent from the preceding description, the lamp housings are easilyinstalled by untrained workmen and without the need for special tools bymerely lifting them into the support brackets 115 of the racewayswhereby they are automatically guided and locked by the operation of thecounterbalanced latches 145. Maintenance operations may be easilyaccomplished by unla-tching the lamp housings and removing them to awork bench for convenient repair.

Although certain specific embodiments of the invention have been shownand described, it is obvious that many modifications thereof arepossible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted exceptinsofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1` Fluorescent lighting fixture means of the character describedcomprising a ceiling raceway of troughlike form and extended lengtharranged for inverted mounting at a fixed overhead position, aconventional lighting power circuit suitable for operating uorescentlamp units, said circuit being housed in said raceway and wired inparallel to a plurality of connector fittings carried by said raceway inspaced relation lengthwise thereof, a separately constituted fluorescentlamp unit that is complete and selfcontained so as to be capable ofoperation upon energizing connection to any lighting power circuitsuitable therefor, said lamp unit incorporating a complementaryconnector titting engageable with any of said plurality of connectorittings carried -by said raceway, means incorporated in said raceway forcarrying each of said plurality of connector fittings interchangeably ata plurality of locations spaced lengthwise thereof for accommodatingselective localized positioning of said lamp unit, and means forremovably attaching said lamp unit on said raceway selectively inrelation to any of said plurality of connector iittings, as locatedlengthwise on said raceway, so that the complementary connector littingincorporated in said lamp unit is engaged in connecting relation withthe selected raceway connector titting as an incident of the attachmentof said lamp unit on said raceway.

2. Fluorescent lighting iixture means of the character describedcomprising a ceiling raceway of troughlike form and extended length,hanger means engageable with said raceway for inverted mounting thereofat a fixed and leveled overhead position, a conventional lighting powercircuit suitable for operating fluorescent lamp units, said circuitbeing housed in said raceway and wired in parallel to a plurality ofconnector fittings carried by said raceway in spaced relation lengthwisethereof, -a plurality of separately constituted fluorescent lamp unitsfor installa tion on said raceway, said plurality of lamp units notexceeding in number the number of said plurality of raceway connectorfittings and the spacing of any two adjacent raceway connector iittingsnot being less than the length of a lamp unit of said plurality selectedfor installation on said raceway at said spacing, each of saidluorescent lamp units being complete and self-contained for operationupon energizing connection to any lighting power circuit suitabletherefor, and each of said lamp units incorporating a complementaryconnector tting engageable with any of said raceway connector iittings,each of said raceway connector ttings being carried by said raceway onrespective bracket structures mounted in said raceway interchangeably atone of a plurality of locations spaced lengthwise thereof selected for adesired localized positioning of said lamp units, and means forremovably attaching each of said plurality of lamp units on said race-Way in relation to one of said plurality of raceway connector fittings,as positioned by the respective bracket structures carrying the same onsaid raceway, so that the complementary connector ttings incorporated insaid lamp units are engaged with a lrelated raceway connector itting foroperating :said lamp units from said power circuit as an incident of theattachment of the lamp units on said raceway.

3. Fluorescent lighting fixture means as defined in claim 1 and furthercharacterized in that said raceway additionally incorpor-attes means forsupporting a ceiling structure extending from each side thereof andselectively covering the bottom face of said raceway at any lengthwiseportion thereof not occupied by a lamp unit installed thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,411,952 Beller Dec. 3, 1946 2,516,660 Versen July 25, 1950 2,678,380Westley May l1, 1954

2. FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURE MEANS OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBEDCOMPRISING A CEILING RACEWAY OF TROUGHLIKE FORM AND EXTENDED LENGTH,HANGER MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID RACEWAY FOR INVERTED MOUNTING THEREOFAT A FIXED AND LEVELED OVERHEAD POSITION, A CONVENTIONAL LIGHTING POWERCIRCUIT SUITABLE FOR OPERATING FLUORESCENT LAMP UNITS, SAID CIRCUITBEING HOUSED IN SAID RACEWAY AND WIRED IN PARALLEL TO A PLURALITY OFCONNECTOR FITTINGS CARRIED BY SAID RACEWAY IN SPACED RELATION LENGTHWISETHEREOF, A PLURALITY OF SEPARATELY CONSTITUTED FLUORESCENT LAMP UNITSFOR INSTALLATION ON SAID RACEWAY, SAID PLURALITY OF LAMP UNITS NOTEXCEEDING IN NUMBER THE NUMBER OF SAID PLURALITY OF RACEWAY CONNECTORFITTINGS AND THE SPACING OF ANY TWO ADJACENT RACEWAY CONNECTOR FITTINGSNOT BEING LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF A LAMP UNIT OF SAID PLURALITY SELECTEDFOR INSTALLATION ON SAID RACEWAY AT SAID SPACING, EACH OF SAIDFLUORESCENT LAMP UNITS BEING COMPLETE AND SELF-CONTAINED FOR OPERATIONUPON ENERGIZING CONNECTION TO ANY LIGHTING POWER CIRCUIT SUITABLETHEREFOR, AND EACH OF SAID LAMP UNITS INCORPORATING A COMPLEMENTARYCONNECTOR FITTING ENGAGEABLE WITH ANY OF ASID RACEWAY CONNECTORFITTINGS, EACH OF SAID RACEWAY CONNECTOR FITTINGS BEING CARRIED BY SAIDRACEWAY ON RESPECTIVE BRACKET STRUCTURES MOUNTED IN SAID RACEWAYINTERCHANGEABLY AT ONE OF A PLURALITY OF LOCATIONS SPACED LENGTHWISETHEREOF SELECTED FOR A DESIRED LOCALIZED POSITIONING OF SAID LAMP UNITS,AND MEANS FOR REMOVABLY ATTACHING EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF LAMP UNITSON SAID RACEWAY IN RELATION TO ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF RACEWAYCONNECTOR FITTINGS, AS POSITIONED BY THE RESPECTIVE BRACKET STRUCTURESCARRYING THE SAME ON SAID RACEWAY, SO THAT THE COMPLEMENTARY CONNECTORFITTINGS INCORPORATED IN SAID LAMP UNITS ARE ENGAGED WITH A RELATEDRACEWAY CONNECTOR FITTING FOR OPERATING SAID LAMP UNITS FROM SAID POWERCIRCUIT AS AN INCIDENT OF THE ATTACHMENT OF THE LAMP UNITS ON SAIDRACEWAY.